Bottom of A Bottle
by Walking In Circles
Summary: Jack is an alcholic, her daughter is kept away from her, and she has seemed to have forgotten that Riddick is there, until the one night....
1. Drunken Feelings and a 2nd Job

Well this is the sequel to Run, since a few people wanted one. I couldn't find any appropriate songs to make it a song fic, so it will be a short story instead. Rating is for mild language and some sexual references.

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I don't understand what has happened to me. I used to be so…happy. No, I think I do understand. Caitlyn was the only joy in my life. But she is gone. Taken by her so-called father when he found out I was with Riddick again. I pleaded with him to not tell anyone about Riddick, and thank god he still loved me enough to do that for me. He convinced the child custody court that the man I was now involved with wasn't good with children, and he feared for Caitlyn's safety and well-being. Of course, stupid me didn't have a defense against that. He moved with her to another city, and I haven't seen her in two years. Now I hate my life. I can't stop drinking. I come back to my empty apartment every night from the bar, drunker than hell. At least he is always there. To pick me up, take me home, and make sure I don't drink anymore.

There are nights when I don't remember what I did, don't remember how or when I came home. If I want to know, I just ask Riddick. He is never uncomfortable telling me anything. Every night is usually the same. I get off work, drive down to the bar, and after about 2 hours I'm drunk. An hour later, around 11 o'clock, Riddick would come, take me home, and watch over me while I slept it off. But last night was different.

"Jack, I came to take you home." He had showed up at the bar a little late, I was already more shit-faced then most of the men there.

"You can't make me leave. I am twenty…eight! years old! I can…I can stay here, if I wan...want to…" I was trying to stand up, but I fell on him, and began laughing hysterically. He held me up and stared into my eyes. If I had been sober it would have been a slightly special moment. He put my arm around his neck and lifted me off the floor.

"Why Richard I never knew you felt that way about me…" I smiled at him and he just gave me a disappointed look. He carried me out to the car and strapped me in on the passenger side. The drive home was a blur, I only remember walking into the apartment without my shoes on. He was carrying them for me, including my purse. While I was spinning around the room he dropped my stuff in a chair. I fell on the floor, and the thud of it caused the lamp on the table to wobble. Instead of trying to save it I watched as it fell and broke into dozens of pieces on the floor.

"Oops." I staggered to my feet and walked silky over to Riddick who was setting up the coffee pot in the kitchen. "You know Richard, I've always found you…_very sexy._" He pushed me away when I tried to kiss him.

"Jack, you need to go to bed." In a flash he picked me up and carried me to my bedroom.

"Oh, down to business then is it?" I lay on the bed in a very sultry position. He just stared at me with no emotion on his face. Then I hiked my dress up around my waist and fingered the waistline of my black thong. "Come on Riddick, you know you want to."

"I'm locking you in your room. You don't have to sleep, but I'm not letting you go anywhere." He walked out and closed my door. I scrambled to get to it before it locked, but as soon as I touched the handle I heard a 'click'. I put my ear on the door. "Why do you do this to yourself Jack?"

I woke up the next morning to find him sitting in the corner staring at me. It seemed all the lights in my apartment were on low, and only slivers of light could be seen behind the window blinds. His goggles were on the nightstand next to me. I was still in my dress and the sheets were wrapped around me as if I had tried to strangle myself with them in the night. I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case; I had tried to kill myself a few months earlier. But he managed to stop me.

"You like watching me sleep Riddick?" I said as I rubbed my eyes. I sat up when he handed me a cup of coffee. As I blew the steam away he sat next to me on the bed. I eyed him while I sipped my coffee. He just sat there looking back at me, nothing discernable on his face.

"Do you remember last night?

"Yes. And I'm sorry for the way I acted, I…I didn't mean it." I sighed. I set the cup down on the nightstand. He pulled back slightly so I could stand up and go to my closet. I grabbed a pair of blue jeans and a tight black t-shirt and headed into the bathroom. "I heard what you said after you locked my door last night," I called from the bathroom. The rustle of sheets could be heard, he was straightening my bed for me. I fixed my hair into a ponytail and sprayed on some of my favorite perfume. He wasn't in my room anymore when I came out. I discovered him in the kitchen; he wasn't doing anything, just leaning against the counter.

"So what are your plans for the day?" he asked me abruptly. I ignored his question for a few minutes while I got myself a bowl of cereal.

"Well I gotta go to work in about…" I checked my calendar, and then the clock to be sure. "2 hours. I'll get off at about 5 p.m., and then I have to go to the store to pick up a few things. At about 7 o'clock, I have to go to…my second job." He slowly crossed him arms and cocked his head at me. I knew that any second he would say something, and then it would get awkward between us. More then it already was. I quickly finished my cereal and put the bowl in the sink.

"What do you mean, _2nd_ job? I know for a fact that you make enough money to support yourself, pay child support to that fucker, _and_ still have money left over, with just the one job. What the hell are you doing?" He was angry, and he had good reason to be. For all he knew, I was prostitute. But I wasn't.

"Look, I just need something to occupy my time. I don't have anything else, and you know that." I felt myself beginning to cry, but I held it in the best I could.

"So you get a 2nd job, because you have nothing else to do. And yet you still go to that goddamned bar every fucking night!" He was shouting at me now, and I couldn't handle it, especially since I had a slight hangover.

"You don't have to fucking shout at me! I can do whatever the hell I want with my life. Now get out." I lowered my voice for the last part. I had never, ever told him to get out. I just let him come and go as he pleased. But not anymore.

"Tell me what it is you do at this "2nd job" and I will." He uncrossed his arms and moved closer to me. So close, I could almost feel the anger radiating off of him.

"Its none of your business. It's not important anyway. Now please. Get out." I couldn't bear to look into those silver eyes, those cold, unmerciful eyes. I turned away and walked back into my room. I came back with his goggles and threw them at him. "Just leave."

"No." that was all he needed to say. I walked up and slapped him as hard as I could. He was slightly shocked. I stomped into my room and shoved the vanity in front of my door, barricading it. I listened for a long time, waiting for him to leave. But I never heard the door, or any window open. I waited in my room until it was time for me to go to work. I slipped my shoes on, grabbed my purse, and pushed the vanity back into place. I had to squint my eyes slightly when the light him them. All the blinds were open, and Riddick was nowhere to be seen. There was however, a note attached to my front door. 'I'll be watching you," was all it said.

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So what does everyone think? Should I continue with this? If I do, then I will hardly ever update my other story until this one is finished. 


	2. Shall We Dance?

Well here is Ch. 2, I'm glad that people like this story, its good for me to have a change from the other story.

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I ripped the small note into tiny pieces and threw them away. I grabbed my keys and made a mental note to myself to pick my car up at the bar. That meant I either had to get a designated driver, or not drink that night. I decided to think about that later. I was almost late for work. I got a taxi and was there in ten minutes. 

"Hey Jackie, what's up?" shouted Cassidy as I walked into the front office. I work at the city coroner's office, doing miscellaneous things, from carting in the bodies for her to examine, to mopping the blood up off the floors after the autopsies. You didn't need much schooling to do the stuff I was doing, but since it was the fucking coroner/ morgue, no one wanted to be there. That's why I got paid so much. Cassidy was one of the pathologists.

"Nothing much Cassidy. So what do you want me to do today?" I put my stuff into the locker and changed into my usual white pants and apron. She, along with all the other doctors and assistants were changing into their scrubs. I knew that even though they pretended they liked me, they, like almost everyone else I knew, thought they were better then me.

"We got a couple of bodies coming in from Trinidad. Cops think it's a serial killer. They want us to fully examine the bodies, and collaborate with the CSI investigators. All you gotta do today is bring in the bodies once the ambulance drops them off, and once we are done, wheel them into the morgue, Jacob will take care of them after that. If you clean up the exam rooms fast enough, you can leave early." Easy enough for me. The bodies arrived not ten minutes later. I took them in to the exam rooms, and chatted with Jacob, the weird janitor guy, for a long time. The doctors got done awful fast with their autopsy. When I asked Cassidy why, she said it was an open and shut case, and she was pissed the cops sent the bodies here in the first place. They were obviously killed by a near decapitation, and they couldn't find anything else. They took some blood and other body fluids to be analyzed, but they wouldn't' be in until tomorrow. I took the bodies down to Jacob, and he put them in the freezer. I cleaned up the exam rooms in nothing flat, and headed home at about 2:30.

Since I had about four hours to kill until I had to go my other job, I decided to catch up on my reading. I got bored after a while, so I walked down to the store to get some things. While I was there, I had the distinct feeling someone was watching me. Then I remembered the note, and knew it was Riddick, although I never did see him. I took the key to my apartment out and unlocked my door. As I set the groceries on the kitchen counter, I suddenly felt that someone was in here with me. I opened up the drawer with the silverware in it, and grabbed the gun taped to the underside. I stalked through every room, gun raised, until I had to go into my room. I went inside, and saw that my bathroom door was closed, and the faint sound of running water could be heard. I opened the door. Whoever it was, they were using my shower! I raised the gun and flung open the shower curtain.

"AHHH! Oh my god! Fuck Jack what the hell is wrong with you?"

"STACY? What are you doing here? And why are you using my shower?" I put the gun down and handed her a towel. She turned the water off and wrapped herself up.

"I'm sorry, but my water was shut off earlier today, and I needed to shower before work. You gave me your extra key last month, remember?" Stacy was a stripper at the "gentlemen's club" downtown. I was the bartender there, and that is my 2nd job. Stacy was the only one of the girls who didn't pretend she was too good to talk me, so we became friends pretty fast. I left her to get ready. After I put away all the groceries, she was ready to go. The sun was just beginning to set, and even though it was still early, we decided to go the club anyway.

On the way there, I knew that Riddick was following us. And he would watch me all night until I got home. Then we would really have it out with each other. But I tried to have fun and forget about everything. We got to the club before it was opening time, so we had some time to kill. I began preparing some drinks for the regulars who came in every night and got the same exact thing, while Stacy changed into her stage clothes. About 15 minutes before opening, all the other girls came filing in one by one. Stacy came out from the back and sat at the bar. I handed her a beer, and she drank the whole thing. I looked at her in that stupid leopard skin bikini, with the kitty ears on her head and a cat tail attached to the back of her panties. Her stage name was "Kitten", so the boss wanted her to dress like a cat.

"Stacy, you're 24 years old. You need to get out of this godforsaken city and do something better with your life."

"Oh, I know you're right Jack, but, I'm just not ready. I don't know what I would do if I left. This city is my home you know? Oh, I gotta get on the stage in a few minutes. Hey, I have an idea, why don't you come up there with me? It's great fun sometimes, and I know how much the regulars like you." She winked at me and ran back stage. I stood there considering her offer. I had only been up there once, and that was when I first started, and when Danielle was still here. She was the girl who was my friend before Stacy came along, and Danielle was smart enough to find herself a man that was good to her, and paid for her to go back to school.

"Hey Max, I need you to watch the bar for a few minutes." I called to the boss who was across the room. I smiled to myself as I followed Stacy to the back.

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Looks like Jack is going to get up on the stage and "dance" with Stacy! What will happen because of it? You'll find out soon enough:) 


	3. Spearmint Rhino

Ok, this is a short chapter, and it's written in a different point of view, just coz I need it to be. I don't think this POV will be used again after this chap.

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It was 7:00 pm. Opening time for the Spearmint Rhino Gentlemen's Club. One of the most prestigious strip clubs in the entire sector. Prestigious because it had the biggest "variety" in girls, and the most customers. Most men who came in there were young, eager, and hoping to end the night with a little action. Those were the kind of men that only came in two or three times, then they got a new girlfriend or wife and were never heard from again. Then there were the regulars. Most of them were middle-aged and married, or getting close to a divorce. Some other "customers" were the low lifes, the perverts, the drug dealers, the pimps, and don't forget, the occasional psychotic killer. But no matter who they were, or what their lifestyle, they all fell completely head over heels for that hot little number behind the bar. Sometimes people would order drinks they didn't even want, just to see her smile. But mostly it was to take a peek at that tattoo right above her ass when she bent down to get something from under the counter.

Most of the regulars would boast about how they got to see her dance up on stage when she first started working here. Others would claim they slept with her, but of course they were lying, and everyone knew it. Sometimes the new guys would ask the other girls about her, but all they said was that she wasn't worth their time, she would never get up and dance again. But they were wrong.

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7:13 pm. Drinks were gotten, food was ordered, all the girls were there, and the DJ was ready and waiting with the first song, picked specifically by Jack. As soon as the minute hand hit the fifteen on the boss's watch, he pointed to the DJ, it was show time. Normally, everything wouldn't be as tense as it was, and there would be a girl up there as soon the place opened. But not tonight. Tonight was special, only in that Jack had agreed to Kitten's offer. Of course the boss put up Kitten to it. Business had been lagging lately, and he needed something that would make all the men in here talk about this club to all their friends. And he was certain this was it. He even closed the private rooms, so everyone would see this performance.

"Alright everybody, the show of a lifetime is about to start. You've seen her in the back rooms, caged behind glass. But now for only the fifth time in her career, this animal is coming out to you. Give it up for Kitten!" shouted the DJ in the mic. Kitten sauntered out onto the catwalk, swinging her tail in her hands. Half the room clapped and whistled for her. She concluded her walk by a long swing down the polished silver pole. "Alright now, its time for the girl you've been waiting for. You've seen her behind the bar, so close, and yet so far, and for the second time she is getting up on the stage to strut her stuff for all you lucky guys, Let's hear it for Jack!" The entire room exploded with applause and whistling. And at that exact moment, a dark figure slipped in through the front door. No one noticed but the boss. The man walked over to the bar and sat down on the velvet-lined stool. He was tall, and muscular, not like most men who came in there. He glanced over at the stage as Jack came out looking rough in a tank top, cargo pants and a tool belt. Her hair was tied back at first, but as soon as she reached where Kitten was standing, she pulled out the hair tie and flipped her head back, in a classic "stripper hair toss". The dark man turned back, obviously un-phased.

The boss eyed this stranger. He knew he was trouble, but he went about as if nothing was wrong. When the girls got into their desired starting positions, the music started. The new guy didn't even look at the stage. He ordered straight whiskey, no ice, and stared at the counter. He looked like he was confused and anxious about something.

"Hey stranger, something wrong?" the boss asked politely while putting the whiskey bottle away.

"No. By the way what song is this?" He seemed very irked about something.

"I believe it is "Küss Mich" by Rammstein, Jack picked it herself." The boss looked affectionately at the performance on stage.

"Jack?" The man finally turned towards the stage.

"Yeah, our little tool belt diva up there. I knew putting her up there would be a good idea. Look how much money the two of them are raking in?" Jack was down to nothing but her see-through bra and thong, and of course, the tool belt. Money was just being thrown at her, it almost lined the stage. Then the belt came off and she tossed it to the guy nearest her. Now her infamous tattoo was visible, and the room exploded as she showed it off. The boss turned sharply as he heard a glass slam on the counter, but all he saw was the front door swinging shut.


	4. Right With the World

Well here is chapter 4, "Right With the World". I hope this is okay, because it only took me about an hour to write.

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We stumbled through the hallway of the apartment building, laughing the whole way. I couldn't remember the last time I was this happy without being drunk. We reached my door and I began searching through my purse for the keys.

"Are you sure you don't wanna go to the bar? We could have some fun!" Stacy giggled.

"Hey, I don't need to drink to have fun!" I unlocked the door. "Besides, we're here already." I opened the door and we stepped inside into the darkness. "Hold on a second and I'll turn the lights on." I groped my way to the kitchen where all the light switches were. I placed my purse gently on the counter and waited until my eyes adjusted enough to see where the switch plates were. As soon as my finger flipped the switch I heard Stacy scream. I whipped around the corner to see her standing in the middle of the living room, with Riddick leaning against a window with his arms crossed. He did nothing, and said nothing, just stared at us. Stacy looked over and saw I wasn't the least bit afraid of this man, so she calmed down enough to back up to me.

"That isn't your ex is it?" she whispered.

"Stacy, why don't you go back to your place and get your stuff. He'll be gone by the time you get back." I glared angrily at him. How dare he be here when I had company?

"Are you sure you're gonna be okay? Should I call the cops?" She was backing up slowly to the front door.

"Don't worry, he won't hurt me. Now go. I'll be fine." In the blink of an eye she was gone, her hurried footsteps could still be heard for a few seconds. I didn't take my eyes off his face for a second, because I knew if I did, that he could kill me in that amount of time if he wanted to.

"I'll turn the lights down for you, if you'd like," I said softly. I decided the best thing I could do was be nice to him, he didn't look like he was in a good mood. He nodded. I moved backwards with my hand out. I felt the light switch on the wall and turned the knob down so there was only enough light for me to just barely make out everything in the room. After I rested my hand at my side again, he moved closer and pulled off his goggles. He kept coming closer, and I began to tremble. I knew I had nothing to fear from him, but I couldn't help the way he made me feel when I didn't know what his intentions were. He circled me, his head bent slightly inward. He was smelling me like he always did. Even though it was a little creepy, that really did something for me. I took a deep breath to try and suppress my urge to pounce on him.

"So umm, anything in particular you want from me this time?" I said breathlessly. He stopped circling and faced me.

"I saw you tonight. At the club." Holy shit, that was bad.

"Look Riddick I'm sorry, I didn't think you'd see me. But, it made me feel good about myself. And I wouldn't take anything back if I could." I crossed my arms.

"So stripping down for a bunch of lowlifes every night makes you feel good about yourself?"

"Every night? Riddick that was only my second time up there!"

"You expect me to believe that?" He stepped back just slightly.

"Yes, I do. I'm the fucking bartender Riddick. Stacy just invited me to dance with her tonight for fun! I'm not the kind of person who would do that every night." I walked away from him into the kitchen. "You must have come in at the wrong time because it was even announced that it was only my second time up there." I got out a bottle of whiskey from the cupboard. I was about to pour myself a shot, but when I realized Riddick was watching me, I closed the bottle and put it away. "This is probably more obvious then my tattoo, but I'm an alcoholic. And I have been ever since…" I couldn't bear to say her name. I felt the familiar tingle in my eyes, and tears began to well up. I tried to blink them away before he saw me, but on rolled down my cheek as he came up and turned me around gently.

"You don't have to tell me that." He smirked slightly, trying to make me feel better, but he was never good at that.

"I want to sober up Riddick, I really do. But I can't do it by myself." I looked up into his eyes. I searched his face for any sign of emotion. I leaned in closer to him, trying to give him a sign of my own. He must have understood because he quickly embraced me in a kiss. I had forgotten how good he was at it. All sense of right and wrong left me, all the sadness and anger pent up inside was released, and I became lost in him. We were there in the kitchen like that for who knows how long, until he pushed down the straps on my black tank top. As much I didn't want to I broke the kiss.

"Something wrong?" he whispered

"No, it's just that Stacy will be back any minute and I told her you would be gone." I smiled at him. Time seemed to stop as he made ready to leave me again. He was just about to go out the window as usual. "Wait Riddick." I went up to him and he turned around, perched on the windowsill. "Come back tomorrow? I don't have to work at all. And Stacy will be gone around noon. Maybe…maybe we could talk or something?"

"Sure, anything you want."

"Ok, come back around 3 then." And with that he left. Not 10 seconds later Stacy cautiously entered through the front door with her backpack.

"He gone?"

"Yeah…" I was still looking out the window.

"Uh, did something happen between you two?" I heard her put her bag down on the floor.

"What do you mean?" I turned around to face her, and she was smiling to high heaven.

"Well for one, your shirt is practically falling off you." I quickly pulled the straps back up. "And secondly, you just seem like everything is right with the world, and you are _never_ like that." We changed into our PJ's and settled on the couch with some popcorn and a good movie. And like she said, for the first time in years, I really did feel everything was right in my little world.


	5. Normal People

Well here ya go, Chapter 5. I know that Jack and Riddick's characters are screwed up, but hey, Jack has been married and had a kid! (I was going to mention that the guy was sorta abusive to Jack, but I didn't, so now you know…) And Riddick isn't chased by the mercs anymore. They love each other deeply, but they can't admit it to each other. At least when they are in their right minds, lol. I don't think I made it clear in this chap or the others, so here is a sort of "timeline" as to what has been going on for the last 14 years.

1) They get off the evil planet (2) They spend two years in New Mecca with Imam (3) Riddick makes plans to leave because a merc is on his tail, Jack decides to go with him, and neither him nor Imam say no. (4) Riddick and Jack run around the galaxy for 3 years, being chased by one merc after another. (5) They come to the planet they are on now; Riddick decides to leave Jack behind to deal with some issues by himself. (6) During the months Riddick was gone, Jack got her job at the morgue, and her apartment she has now, and meets her future husband (7) Riddick comes back sometime later, and wants to take her with him because he settled the matter that needed settling; Jack refuses because she is finally getting the chance at a normal life, and plus she thinks she is in love with this new man, so Riddick goes away (8) Within the same year, Jack marries this man, but only because he knocked her up and he thought it would be the right thing for them to marry. (9) After Jack has Caitlyn, her marriage begins to fall apart because she doesn't really love him, and he starts hitting her. Jack leaves him when Caitlyn is 3 yrs old. (10) Jack gets to keep Caitlyn for 3 more years, then Riddick returns, and he stays. (11) When Jack's ex comes to visit Caitlyn one day, he discovers Riddick there at the apartment, and Jack isn't around at the time. Riddick threatens him, and tells him he if he knew what was good for him, he wouldn't come by anymore. (12) Within the next few weeks, Jack's ex sues for custody of Caitlyn, and convinces the court that her new boyfriend is too dangerous for Caitlyn to be around, so he gets custody of her, and also puts up a restraining order against her. He then moves to a city over 200 miles away, and Jack doesn't see Caitlyn again. (13) Over the two years up until the beginning of this story, Jack gets depressed because she thinks she will never get to see her daughter again, and she goes over the top and tries to kill herself by taking an entire bottle of anti-depressants, but Riddick finds her just after she swallowed them, and called the hospital to come get her and pump her stomach. Afterwards she gets the job at the strip joint for something to do. But it isn't enough so she turns to drinking. Riddick meanwhile, is always disappearing during the daytime, and never tells Jack where he goes and what he does. At night, they barely ever see each other except when he picks her drunk ass up from the bar, and then in the morning he sees her off to her job at the morgue.

I hope that clarifies many things for everyone. I know it's a lot to read, but I think its necessary.

**P.S. THIS STORY IS FINISHED. If you have a problem with that, you can email me.**

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Normal People

"No, no I understand Cassidy……No, I'll be fine……Seriously Cassidy……No, don't bother calling here again……Yes I'm fucking serious!…Well why don't you tell the others they can go fuck themselves!" I slammed the phone back on the receiver.

"Jack, what in hell was that about?" Stacy shouted from the bathroom.

"Cassidy from the coroners office just called to tell me that I was fired. And the only reason she gave me that that the others were "uncomfortable" with me. God I swear if I ever see her again…" Stacy come out from the bathroom and marched into the kitchen were I was.

"Jack, its just a job. You'll find another one. Besides, it couldn't have been a good one if you hated everyone you worked with." She grabbed a banana from the counter and began to search for her stuff around my apartment. "Hey, at least that means you will have more time to spend with your "man". Are you ever going to tell me his name?" Her voice was barely audible as she searched under the couch and armchairs for anything she might have missed.

"No, he has to keep a low profile, if you know what I mean." I sipped my soda.

"I always knew you were the bad-boy type." Stacy giggled at me as she hiked her backpack over her shoulder. "He's coming over right? Are you sure you don't want to me stay? The three of us could have some fun, _if you know what I mean_." She laughed at me even more, and twirled her fingers in my hair before I finally gave in and laughed a little myself.

"No, I don't think so Stacy. Surprisingly he's not into that. But maybe I can talk him into it someday." I smirked at her, and she walked out the door. "See you later Slut!" I shouted down the hallway.

"Yeah, see ya Bitch!" Saying things like that to each other was all in fun of course, but it made the other tenants in the hallway pop out of his or her doorway to see if there was a fight or something. This time everybody was already at work. I walked back inside and slowly closed the door. There was three hours to kill until Riddick was supposed to show up. The apartment didn't really need cleaning, and I had already showered. What was there to do? I paced around for about ten minutes, ate lunch, watched TV, and by the time I bothered to check the clock again, I still had an hour and a half left. I decided to take a short nap. I took my hair out of the usual ponytail and settled down on my bed with a blanket. It didn't take long for me to fall asleep.

I awoke later, but I didn't open my eyes. I lay there for quite a long time until I heard movement. I peeked an eye open to see Riddick in front of me, and the room was dark.

"Hey." I whispered. A large grin began to play upon my face. He pulled his goggles off and we just looked at each other.

"You know, sleeping the middle of the day will keep you up at night." He smirked at his own smartass remark.

"Well maybe I thought you would give me a good reason to stay up." He stood back when I sat myself up and whipped the blanket off of me.

"Maybe I will." His semi-cryptic message perplexed me. It seemed he had something planned, but at the same time, it was like he was just bullshitin' me. He walked off out of my room, and I got up and ran to the bathroom. I checked my watch. It was 6:00pm; I had slept a lot longer then I intended. My hair was a mess. I brushed it out about a hundred times until it finally cooperated with me. I put my hair back into a ponytail and shuffled to the living room. The lights were dimmed of course, and the TV was on the local news, boring like news usually is, but Riddick seemed slightly interested in it as he reclined on my couch. Most likely seeing if anything was about him. As always, there was nothing. The news ended and some soap opera came on. I jumped onto the couch next to him and snatched the remote away. I turned to my favorite channel, MTV2. I knew I was probably getting too old to still like this stuff, but now that I didn't have anyone to take care of but myself, I found that I was trying to enjoy the life that fate had given me by doing and liking whatever the hell I wanted to.

"You actually like this crap?" Riddick said after a music video ended. I turned to him and smiled.

"Of course I do! I thought you would know after being with me for so long." I thought that after years of being together, that he would know almost everything there was to know about me.

"Actually I don't know shit about you. Just because were together for five years, and then these last two, doesn't mean I know anything about you." He had a good point. We never actually "talked" to each other, and we hardly ever spent any time together that wasn't so awkward that one of use ended up leaving.

I began to think back to the times that we spent together when the mercs were constantly following us. It was hurried, it was uncomfortable, it sucked complete ass. I still cannot understand why I went with him when I knew it would be like that. We never talked to each other, it was always, get to the new place, hide out for a few days, hijack a ship, then move on. Sometimes it was fun. But when we came to this planet, and we almost got caught, everything changed. He left me for a long time, and when he came back, I thought that our relationship would grow more, yet we still couldn't speak to each other.

The last few weeks have really changed the relationship between us. And last night reminded me of the love I had for him. I was so wrapped up in my own twisted life that I had almost forgotten that he was always there for me. I got up from the couch and went outside on my balcony. The sun was just beginning to set. Riddick soon came out to me.

"Well here is one thing that you might not know. I love sunsets," I said in a quizzical kind of way. I wiggled my toes against the cold concrete and sighed. Riddick didn't do anything other men would, like come and hold me. No, he just went back inside, and stayed inside until the sun finally was completely below the horizon. It was almost 8:00pm. Now that it was dark, it was Riddick's time to do whatever he wanted with complete freedom. The glass door clicked when I shut and locked it. He was standing in the kitchen with a beer in hand. I went and got one too. He looked at me when I snapped the bottle cap off.

"What? I can have one beer if I want to." He was still eyeing me. "I will only have one Riddick, I promise." I drank some of it and went back into the living room. He followed me. We sat in silence for an hour as I watched the television intently. Then he abruptly turned it off in the beginning of the next show.

"Hey I wanted to watch that!" I threw my empty bottle at him but he caught it and set it down on the table. I jumped off the couch and walked to the kitchen and was about to get something else I could through at him, when I noticed a green envelope on the counter. I picked it up. It was from Tyler Rice, my ex-husband.

"Oh, yeah I forgot to tell you that I'd gotten your mail for you before I came up," he said standing up and facing me. I slowly opened the envelope with a kitchen knife. I pulled out a piece of computer paper, he had typed me a letter. I scanned over it and saw "picture of Caitlyn" in the middle, and sure enough, also inside the envelope was a picture of my girl. I clapped my hand over my mouth at the site of her. With her blonde hair in a French braid and her emerald eyes shining along with her smile. A tear fell down on her, and I found myself crying. Riddick came over to me and took the picture.

"She looks a lot more like you now then she did two years ago. Been wondering where the blonde came from…"

"When I was little my hair was blonde, then when I hit puberty it turned brown, and later it got black. It's happened to all the women in my family." I picked the letter up again and began to read it. The content caused me to shake slightly. I had to sit down.

"Something wrong?" Riddick questioned as I sat down on the couch.

"He says that he is dropping the restraining order against me. He says I can take her on the weekends if I want to…" I burst into more tears. I dropped the letter and fell back into the cushions. I pressed my face against one of the pillows, soon getting it wet. I felt Riddick sit down next to me. When I faced him I was embarrassed by my actions. He didn't understand what she meant to me, therefore, he couldn't even being to understand how happy I was. His next movement shocked me. He cupped my face in his hand and wiped a tear away with his thumb. I smiled and pulled his hand down. I decided it was time for a subject change.

"I got fired from my job at the morgue today." I stood up and walked off to the bathroom to wash my face.

"How come?" Riddick watched me from the doorway.

"Cassidy said it was because the others were uncomfortable with me there, and she left it at that."

"You are better then that job anyway. You deserve something more then that." I supposed he was right. A job like that really was beneath me.

"I know that, but most people won't hire anyone who never got to finish high school. They all think I'm an idiot because I don't have anything to put on my resume." I finished up in the bathroom and walked past Riddick towards the living room. "So are we doing anything in particular tonight? Because, I want to go see Caitlyn as soon as possible tomorrow." I grabbed the two empty beer bottles from the coffee table and carried them to the trash in the kitchen. He was leaning against the counter when I turned around to go to my room.

"I didn't have anything in mind. I assumed you would." Odd for him to assume things, but then again, now that the mercs had stopped chasing him, he had lightened up a lot.

"I'm going to bed then. You can come too if you want, but I'm not doing anything with you tonight." I smiled at him and walked off into my room. My face got red as soon as I knew he couldn't see it. I went over to my closet and pulled my shirt and pants off, oblivious to the fact that he was watching me. I jumped slightly when I turned around and he was there.

"You know, if you aren't going to do anything, then you shouldn't wear things like that." I had forgotten that I was still wearing my semi-see-through bra and panties. I could see the lust beginning to spark in his eyes; I didn't want that, not just yet.

"Then leave the room for a minute so I can change." I stated flatly. He did so, and I changed into a pair of boxer shorts and a gray t-shirt, and let him back in. I crawled under my bed sheets and comforter, and as soon I was done getting situated I flipped over on my side and he was already there facing me with his head in his hand. I laid there flat with my hands under my pillow while he looked slightly downward at me. "I like this," I said.

"What do you mean?"

"I like this. Us just being here together. It feels like….like we are a real couple. Like we are normal people." He just looked at me. During these quiet moments I realized that his eyes weren't cold and unmerciful. They could be…beautiful and accepting. Even though he would never say it, I knew he loved me. He has always loved me, and I was always too stupid to realize it.

"Are you going to bring Caitlyn back with you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, if I can. Will you be here when I wake up?"

"Probably not, it wouldn't be a good idea if I was here when Caitlyn came.' There was more silence, and soon my eyes started to droop.

"Riddick?

"Hmm?"

"Why don't the mercs chase you anymore?"

"Those seven years I was away, I killed everyone who had a personal vendetta against me, and ghosted every merc who would be stupid enough to accept a job of capturing me. I got everyone who would have a reason to put a price on my head." I sighed.

"That's good Riddick. That means you'll never have to leave me again…" My eyes closed completely, but before I would let sleep take me, I managed to mumble one last thought. "Riddick…"

"Yeah."

"I love you."

* * *


End file.
